Whether you support the Hawks, the Magpies, the Giants or the Demons, there are always going to be 22 crucial games on your radar every year as an AFL fan.

But when the schedule comes out, there are always a few matchups that get circled - even if they don't actually involve your team.

The Grand Final rematch always gives the previous year's loser a chance to shine, and every year there are a handful of matches that pit stars of the game against their former clubs for the first time.

Then there are the games between sides that ... really don't like each other all that much.

Take a look at six of the most intriguing matches to watch out for in 2016.

This isn't a battle between two heavyweight contenders - a quick look at our earlier preview shows neither in position to challenge, although that might be a little tough on the Swans.

The interest here is all about the grudge match. Sydney and Collingwood just haven't been getting along for a few years, with the Andrews (Sydney chief executive Ireland and chairman Pridham) and the Pies' boss Eddie McGuire firing regular shots at each other through the media.

There's been the COLA wars, the debate over academies and argy-bargy over trade restrictions for the Swans.

To top things off, Sydney has finally done the needful thing and cut ties with the Olympic stadium (memo AFL: the ground at Homebush Bay is great for the Olympics, not so hot for Aussie Rules), ensuring the team will play all their games at the SCG, including the season opener against the Pies.

Cue uproar and calls for compensation from Collingwood, and a significant raising of the stakes as the teams meet each other at Moore Park. Should be tasty!

Round Two - AFL Grand Final rematch - Hawthorn v West Coast (MCG)

The Grand Final rematch is a significant moment in any season, giving a chance for revenge for the previous year's challengers - even if a win will never fully erase the pain.

Last year, the Swans rebounded from their towelling in the 2014 decider to edge the Hawks by four points at the MCG.

The previous year, however, Hawthorn put Fremantle to the sword by 58 points at headquarters - but overall, six out of the last 10 rematches have been won by the side that lost on grand final day.

This year, it's the Hawks and the Eagles at the MCG in round two, and the omens are reasonable for West Coast to make it seven from 11.

Round Five - Anzac Day - Essendon v Collingwood (MCG)

Where do we start? It's one of THE games of the year in any season, but this year's Anzac Day blockbuster between Essendon and Collingwood has the potential to be unmissable for all the wrong reasons.

When the Court of Arbitration for Sport handed down its guilty verdict in January, it blew up the Bombers' 2016 season in an instant, with 12 players on the books rubbed out for the year.

From captain Jobe Watson to Dyson Heppell, Brent Stanton, Michael Hurley and others, Essendon has lost the guts of its team, forced to call on top-up players to make up the numbers.

An early preseason win over Carlton aside, the result has been all that you would expect - the Dons have been smashed by three-figure margins by Geelong and West Coast, and it looks like a long year ahead at Windy Hill.

In the 21 years since the Anzac Day match has been made an annual event, the largest margin has been a 73-point blowout by Collingwood over Essendon in 2008. That record is surely under threat.

On the Collingwood side, this year is crunch time for coach Nathan Buckley. The Magpies look to have potential to go places, but this game HAS to be a win.

If the Bombers somehow managed to pull a victory out, this would send pundits, fans (and probably players) into meltdown.

Round Eight - Adelaide v Geelong (Adelaide Oval)

This is the Danger Derby, and should give a serious snapshot of two AFL sides potentially going in opposite directions.

For eight years Patrick Dangerfield delighted Crows fans, picking up regular leather poisoning while producing a sizable highlights reel and causing opposition teams to scratch their heads on how to stop him.

But then the Cats came calling, and the boy from Mobbs Creek headed home to Geelong, leaving the Pride of South Australia feeling bereft.

The Crows have brought in players like Paul Seedsman (Collingwood), but none of them come close to replacing Dangerfield, while Geelong's new recruits - also including Lachie Henderson (Carlton), Scott Selwood (West Coast) and Zac Smith (Gold Coast) - suddenly has a side in decline in reasonable shape to break back into the eight.

Danger's first return to Adelaide Oval could prompt a stinging reaction from frustrated Crows fans - on the field, the home side will be hellbent on putting one over on the visitors from Victoria, but it's hard to see anything but a win for the Cats.

Round 19 - North Melbourne v St Kilda (Docklands)

The selection of this match is a complete pin-sticking exercise, since Brent "Boomer" Harvey could easily miss a couple of games through injury or having his 39-year-old body rested by Kangaroos coach Brad Scott.

Or, let's face it, the man who Fox Sports did an entire promo on highlighting the fact he was height-challenged and angry could easily lose a few games through suspension given his recent record.

Having said that, IF he manages to make it unscathed through the first 18 rounds of season 2016, then all eyes will be on Docklands come the night of Saturday, July 30 - because then Harvey will make history when he runs out for North Melbourne against St Kilda, setting a new all-time AFL/VFL games record of 427, surpassing Hawthorn legend Michael Tuck.

This is a critical year for the Kangaroos, who are running out of time in their premiership window with this group of players.

Harvey has been the go-to man for much of his 20 previous seasons, and incredibly it may still be the case this year.

This match against the young and rebuilding team from St Kilda should be a lock for North Melbourne - but the four premiership points will only be a side-story if the Kangas' number 29 makes it to number one on the all-time list.

Round 22 - Port Adelaide v Adelaide (Adelaide Oval)

There are plenty of other derbies - both real and invented - on the schedule this season that could have made it on this list.

The Western Derby (rounds three and 20) is an attractive proposition, with West Coast and Fremantle both still on the list of contenders for the flag.

The Battle of the Bridge, Sydney v GWS (rounds three and 12) is also bound to be fiercely contested, with the Giants feeling they're a possible show to go past the Swans if all things go right this season.

There is also the "expansion Derby" between GWS and the Gold Coast (rounds eight and 20), which will be fascinating given the two clubs' recent trajectories as the Giants take pole position in the race to be the first recent addition to make the finals.

But the last matchup on our list is the second Showdown of the season between Port Adelaide and the Crows at Adelaide Oval in round 22.

Aside from the fact that every game between the two South Australian rivals tends to be rather high on the intensity stakes, this shapes as a possible early finals eliminator.

It's far from certain that there are two spots for SA teams in the eight this season, and as we have seen earlier, the Crows face a Danger-ous loss of momentum, while the Power's off-season signing of big forward Charlie Dixon could provide the spark for a big season at Alberton. Add in the much-commented on atmosphere at Adelaide Oval, and this one shouldn't be missed.